chuladi - 5:05 pm on Jul 16, 2003 (gmt 0)

I think one thing that has to be considered is the potential of the product itself. Some product lines are just great for online sales and have an extremely high potential for success even with a newbie at the helm. Others are just an uphill battle no matter what you do. IMO, your product IS a niche product and you have to look at it from that perspective.

Customization, in theory, is great. But a friend of mine once pointed out to me that sometimes by giving people too many choices, they don't make any at all. That's one thing to consider.

The other thing you may want to do is get some press. I'm sure there are some magazines that cater to your target market and getting editorial mention in a magazine or one a magazine type website, could really help you create a name for yourself and/or your product line. And it will also help you boost sales by being able to say "as seen in" " as featured in" or something similar.

Coming from experience with selling clothing, I don't think your problem is that your prices are on the higher end, because despite what people may think or tell you, many, many people drop a lot of money on expensive items on the internet. I think that your problem is more related to branding than the actual price. When people buy clothing online, where there is no touch/feel/try on to experience, they tend to steer towards brands they are familiar with, ESPECIALLY when it comes to higher end (more expensive) merchandise.

And so it seems that to really have longevity, at some point, you will need to focus on branding, on getting recognition, getting your product out there, so that people come to associate your product with certain positive qualities. Even though you offer a guarantee, most online shoppers try to avoid the likelihood of disappointment in the first place and don't like returning merchandise. Having third party validation that your product is just great (not testimonials) would help you get there.

Another thing to consider is the type of woman your clothes appeal to (even though you make children's clothing, it's the mother or grandmother that's mainly going to buy it) and figure out where they are online, what they do, what other stuff they are interested in. Because, perhaps, links from sites that target the same market could drive a lot of potential traffic.